Even though I won't burst into flames when the sun hits my skin, it still bothers my eyes. I sit up and pop my contact lenses in. Considering the windows are so dingy, I didn't expect the sun to filter in this strongly. I stretch my sore muscles, rotating my neck counterclockwise. The few memories from last night try to surface, but I push them down. If Aunt Sonia wanted me to leave, then that is what I'll do.
Luckily my flats dried while I slept, unfortunately, the same can't be said about the hoodie. I toss my old clothes into the trash-bin and spark a match. The question is, where should I go? I could head to Owl Bay but that's Vampire territory, then there's Wolfs Creek, and as the name suggests wolf territory. The Valley's forbidden territory primarily home to Healers and the such.
I could cross the continent to the Cities of Hemlock, Catalpa, Banyan, or Granada. I'm fluent in enough languages to get by, it's just I've never traveled on my own. The last time I went anywhere, I was fourteen Zack and I had accompanied Uncle on a work meeting. "You two need to learn how the pack is run," Uncle had said.
Clouds are already gathering when I exit the motel. While I normally wouldn't mind the rain, right now, I feel as if the heavens were mocking me. Daring me to take that next step.
"Where you off to?" a familiar female voice asks.
The two Vamps from last night trail behind me, "could I help you with something?"
"Told you the magenta would look better on her," the redhead Vamp says.
They split up walking on either side of me, "I still say, she should have dyed it blond, green, or even blue," the blond Vamp says.
What were their names? Wait, I swirl pointing at them, "you switched my hair dye, how? Why?"
"Black's not your color," the blond says.
"Agreed," the redhead says with a yawn, "we could show you how we did it."
"Not interested," I turn and start walking down Sunset boulevard. They continue to follow me in silence. The moment I turn to tell them off I catch a glimpse of the bakery on the many screens displayed outside a Screen Shoop.
"In other news, it seems the Moonglow Alpha and his family were blown up last night," the reporter fixes her glasses, looks down at her papers then back up to the screen, "it's said there was a gas leak that spread throughout their home. All bodies have been burned beyond recognition, but authorities have no doubt it was an accident."
"Thank you for that Monica, now in other news who will take over the Moonglow pack. It is said, Beta Roman was also in the home at the time of the incident and has yet to be found," the second reporter says.
My head spins and I feel like I'll collapse. How can they rule it an accident? There was no gas leak, I would have smelled it, and Aunt was covered in blood. Also, where are Nana May and Siri?
"I smell foul play," the blond Vamp says, "what say you?"
"Agreed," the redhead says, "what's wrong with you?"
I will myself to breathe and relax my clenched fist, "nothing," how can I leave, when, my family was clearly assassinated. I could go to the authorities; something tells me they'll be of no help.
"You look like you could kill a man, doesn't she Zia?" the blond says.
"That's right Lia," Zia looks me over as if accessing something, "you should come with us."
"And why would I do that?"
Zia takes a step towards me, her lips brushing my ear, "we know your secret and we know you're not strong enough to fight them," she whispers.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I take a step back and regret it instantaneously, my back's pressed against the glass wall.
"We won't hurt you," Lia says, "your Uncle asked to meet with us."
"By the time we arrived, it was too late," Zia adds.
"I have no reason to believe you," why would Uncle want to meet with Vamps.
As if reading my thoughts Zia lowers her hand out of sight of the cameras. Keeping my face straight I look down her hand is a wolf's paw than a hand again.
"Believe us now?" Lia asks.
I'm not alone, but how can there be more hybrids? "How?"
"Don't have time to explain," Zia takes hold of my hand and throws me into a black van climbing in behind me. Lia takes the passenger seat and the van speeds away. I'm stuck between Zia and a male who's assembling a gun.
"What took you so long?" Lia asks.
"That," the male next to me says, a motorcyclist drives on one side gun pointed at us.
"Who is that?" I ask.
"Don't know, don't care," the driver swerves to the right then left.
The male next to me lowers the window and inch and shoots, the motorcycle's tiers make a popping sound. Just as the driver swerves into the motorcycle sending the motorcyclist flying.
"That was fun," the male next to me says, "I'm Hector, what your name?"
"What the fuck!" I ignore his outstretched hand angling myself to look at Zia and Lia, "what was that?"
"That Luv was an attempt at our lives," I've never heard the driver's accent before.
"You mean your lives," I say, "they were already following you before I was thrown into your van."
"Agree to disagree," Hector says.
"No!"
"Fine, so I take it she agreed?" Hector asks.
"Not exactly," Lia says, "Elisa has yet to decide whether or not she wants to go with us."
She knows my real name before I can ask Zia speaks, "your Uncle was worried about you and asked the Masters of the Isle for help. He wanted to send you there like I said we arrived a little too late."
"Why?"
"He wanted you to be with your, own kind," the driver says.
"No, why would he send me away with you and what Island?"
"What did you just see?" Zia asks with a sigh.
"You're a hybrid and someone trying to kill you," I say, "wait, how are you a hybrid?"
"I reckon, the same way you are," Noah takes a turn and soon we're on the highway.
"I was an experiment and...
"Let me stop you right there Luv, you were not an experiment none of us where."
"Noah's right, you can only be born or bitten but there's no other way," Lia adds, "our mom ingested Vampire blood when she was pregnant with Zia resulting in her being born a hybrid, as you say. Hector was bitten by a Vamp during a passionate night gone awry."
"But the bite would kill you," I say.
Noah snorts and Hector sighs, "that's a lie, the people that run your continent, can't afford to have their power challenged. They control the media, with that the perception of everything."
"My mother told me how my grandfather experimented on her, how...
"That could be the case mortals are mad creatures', but aren't we all," Noah says.
"Your grandfather could have experimented on her, all he did was feed her vampire blood while pregnant, "Lia says, "odds are your father was a wolf."
"No, that can't be right," nothings making sense, Noah takes the next exit leading to the harbor, "why should I believe you?"
"I don't think you have much of a choice," Zia says just as the world goes black.